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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 14, 2012)
November 14,2012_________________________ ^lottíanhO ^bseruer Page9 Moving Forward with President Obama Congress must invest in children M arian W right E delman A m e ric an s c o m m itted to keep m oving forw ard turned out in record num bers to vote for President O bam a’s re-elec tion. But we w on’t be able to go fo rw ard until C o n g ress sits down and m akes the hard decisions to create a ju st budget that invests in chil dren, our poorest group o f Americans, and creates jobs for their struggling par ents while m aking sure those who have benefited from huge tax cuts pull their weight. Election exit polls have made clear that the majority of Americans— Democrats, Independents, and m any R epublicans alike— agree that the richest Americans and corporations need to pay their fair share. For all those who voted, our work and duty is not done. We need to make sure to tell the President and Congress to “be very careful w hat you cu t” and m ake our voices heard now and for as long as necessary. Children, the poor and the middle class cannot afford more devastating cuts and instability as they continue to struggle by against hunger, hom elessness, jo b le ss ness, and loss o f sum m er school and regular school days as a result o f this long econom ic downturn. T o m ove forw ard, A m erica’s security and prosperity depend on our children’s ability to drive the econom y o f the future. If a m ajor ity o f them cannot read and com pute at grade level in fourth, eighth and 12th grade, we will not have a strong econom y. The leaders now facing crucial budget decisions m ust craft budget solutions that will protect the already porous safety nets on which so m any children and fam ilies rely, and invest in the health, early child hood developm ent and education o f our children. T o a ch iev e long term gro w th fo r America, any solution must: (1) protect investm ents serving children and low in com e families; (2) invest in children which will create desperately needed jobs; and (3) ensure that the w ealthiest.A m ericans and corporations pay their fair share. The fundam ental principle o f protect ing children and other vulnerable popula tions has been a cornerstone o f deficit reduction since the bipartisan Balanced Budget Act o f 1985. Every autom atic budget cut m echanism o f the past quarter century has exem pted core low-income assistance program s from any cuts trig gered when budget targets or fiscal re straint rules were missed or violated. The Am erican people still strongly sup port this principle. Recent polling con d u cted by the Pew R esearch C en ter showed almost 60 percent o f Am ericans oppose cutting spending for anti-poverty program s. A Public Opinion Strategies poll showed even larger num bers o f likely voters oppose cuts to M edicaid (73 per cent) or education program s (75 p er cent). Elim inating the Earned Incom e Tax Credit now would increase child poverty 23 percent in the future. Since poor chil dren are more likely to drop out o f high school, they are less likely to find steady work as adults. Paying for each year o f high school dropouts costs us more than $125 billion over the course o f their life times. Eliminating early education investments now would increase a little boy’s chance o f going to prison later in life by 39 percent. Incarcerating that child will cost us nearly three times more a year than it would have cost to provide him a quality early learning experience. Cutting ju st $4,000 o f M edicaid and food stamps from a girl in a low-income fam ily negatively im pacts her health and nutrition. This can lead to poor perfor m ance in school w hich increases her chances o f getting pregnant as a teenager. And paying for teen pregnancies costs all o f us $10 billion a year. Econom ists agree that investing in chil dren prom otes econom ic grow th. For exam ple, investm ents in education that raise high school graduation rates have been shown to yield a public benefit o f $209,000 per student in higher govern m ent revenues and low er governm ent spending, and an econom ic benefit to the public purse that is 2.5 tim es greater than the costs. W ith more than 16.1 million children in Am erica - more than one in five o f all children and more than one in three chil dren o f color - living in poverty, special efforts m ust be made to address the needs o f these most vulnerable among us. Rather than im posing strict austerity m easures without regard for the human consequences, we m ust invest now in children to prepare them for the future and help create jobs. Be careful what you cut. If our children are not ready for tom orrow , neither is America. Mahan Wright Edelman is President o f the Children's Defense Fund. Obama and Women Won Victories for Equality Election Day was joyful for the families in Washington, Maine and Maryland, who have won the freedom to marry the person they love - and by a vote of the people for the first time in history. I’m also so proud of the people of Minnesota who successfully blocked a constitutional ban on marriage equality for the first time. As more and more Americans are having conversations with gay and lesbian friends and family, they ’ re coming to realize that this is not a political issue. This is about love, commitment and family. There were a lot of firsts in the 2012 election. And w e’re ready for more. Across the country, we have shown that we can win at the ballot, in the courtroom and in the legislature. Now, it’s Oregon’s tum. Basic Rights Oregon is committed to leading the way to make Oregon the first state to overturn a constitutional amendment banning marriage. We know that we are on the right path here in Oregon. Our outreach, just like that of the states who won on Nov. 6, is winning hearts and minds. And that is why this work must continue. Jeana Prazzini, executive director o f Basic Rights Oregon <iln' IJartlanh (Dhscmer Established 1970 Charles H. Washington EniroR.Michael L eighton A ssistant to P ublisher , P ubijc R eiations : M ark W ashington C reative D irector : P aul N e u feld t A ssistant to P ubusher , O ffice M anacer /C iassieieds : Lucinda Baldwin A ssistant P ubijsher : Leonard Latin A dvertising M anager , P ubijc R eiations : Tony Washington S taff W riter /P hotoorapher : Cari Hachmann E d ito a - in -C h ie f , P ublisher : Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon, which engages in educational and electoral activ ity to promote the Planned Parenthood mission, celebrates the re-election of President Barack Obama and regaining a pro-women's health majority in the Oregon Legislature. President Obama signed one o f'th e greatest advancements for women's health in decades. On Election Day, women in America came together to tell politicians that they've gone too far. If you look at this as a war on women, then this election clearly shows that women won." For the 2012 election cycle. Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon mobilized activists to fight back against unprecedented attacks on a woman's personal medical decisions. The organization's political action committee, Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon, conducted one of the state's most extensive voter-outreach programs to educate Oregonians about where can didates stand on women's health. USPS 959-680 This year Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon made 326,768 contacts with voters via direct mail and telephone; sent direct mail to 290,714A pro women's health voters; completed 29,754 one-on- one telephone conversations; endorsed 50 candi dates; and filled 440 volunteer shifts and recruited 14 interns. Oregonians recognize that Planned Parenthood, family planning and healthcare reform are common- sense programs and smart investments. We are so grateful for all of the elected officials and volunteer activists who have stood up for Planned Parenthood in our time of need. Hopefully, politicians will get the message that they shouldn't interfere in personal medical deci sions that should be left between a woman and her family, her faith and her doctor. As we've seen in the 2012 election, attacking women's health is just bad politics. Laura Terrill Patten, executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon 4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211 The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed envelope. All created design display ads become the sole property of the newspaper and cannot be used in other publications or personal usage without the written consent of the general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition of such ad. © 2008 THE PORT LAND OBSERVER. 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